~*~Together~*~

Summary:
Co-Written with ObssesiveCullenDisorder
>>Banner By Me<<
Bella, Alice, Rose, Adrie, Emmet, Edward, Jasper and Jake have all grown up to be the best of friends...
However...
Alice has Jasper... Jake has Adrie... Rose has Emmett...Bella and Edward have... Well, they have a strong friendship.
But would this all change if one of them feels differently towards the other?
[Sequel to ~Baby Twilight~ *You don't have to read it first =D*]
[[Chapter 13 is being validated ...Bella's POV... ]]

Notes:
This is the sequel to Baby Twilight!!!
Do you have to read BT before this story? No...not really, but it would probably answer some questions you might have in the future...
...Co-Written with ObssesiveCullenDisorder !!! Thanks so much for wanting to co-write this story with me *hugs*
Disclaimer: Any recognizable character/setting/etc belongs to SM. The rest belongs to us : ]

1. I...We all missed you

I was excited to be flying home after three months (a little longer then I had planned) in Phoenix with Renee. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother, but Charlie needed my cooking skills in Forks, and my best friends missed me. Yes, I was very excited to be going home. Alice had convinced Charlie that she and I needed “girl time” right after I got off the plane. Needless to say, she was picking me up. Alice had Charlie wrapped around her little finger.

My plane landed. When I went to get my carry-on from the overhead compartment, I realized it was stuck. I pulled, and pulled to no avail. After five minutes of yanking, the obstinate duffle bag finally came loose, hitting me in the head in the process.

“Ouch!” I exclaimed, while a passing flight attendant snickered quietly.

When I came into the airport waiting area, I looked for my short pixie chauffeur. I couldn’t find her. The airport didn’t have a Prada store…would she need a shopping fix bad enough to stoop to shopping in airport souvenir shops?

Searching, I walked around for a few minutes. Finally, twenty feet away I saw a short person with black spiky hair. As I moved toward the potential Alice, I tripped over my own foot, bumping into someone…with bronze hair and golden eyes.

“Edward!” I exclaimed in surprise. Regaining my balance I jump to hug him. I missed him so much over the summer. After a moment I pulled away and saw him giving me that dazzling smile of his. I felt my cheeks burn and knew I was definitely blushing.

“Bella,” Edward smiled as he gave me a one-armed hug, “it’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too, Edward.” I smiled back.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Alice? Not that I don’t like the surprise or anything.” I quickly added.

“Actually, I’m here to pick you up.”

“Oh, that will be great. We never spend enough time together.” We really didn’t. Alice, Jake, and Adrie demanded a lot of my time. It was going to be nice to have some one-on-one time with Edward.

“Shall we?” Edward asked as he took my bags from me.

“Lead the way.” I declared.

Our walk to the car was silent. Edward put my suitcases and duffel bag in the trunk, and opened my door for me. He started the car, and accelerated too quickly. Claire de Lune, a favorite of ours, was playing softly in the background.

“So,” Edward began, “what did you do this summer. You’ve been gone for a long time. School starts tomorrow, you know.” He seemed slightly upset. I wouldn’t have noticed the hard edge in his voice, except for our long friendship.

“The usual. Renee forced me to go shopping, and made me eat her creative concoctions. We went to three book clubs, and the gym. Renee and her fetishes....she never could concentrate on any one thing very well.” Despite all of my mother’s quirks, my father and I loved her deeply, “The wedding was nice. I’ll show you pictures later. Oh and most importantly, I didn’t end in the ER. What did you do this summer?” I asked, switching gears.

Edward sighed, seeming lonely, but chuckle at my lame attempt of a joke “What is there to do for a single male vampire in the sunny summer? The couples all paired off, and I was left alone.” He paused for a moment, thinking, “Alice did let me carry her shopping bags a couple of times. I wasn’t completely excluded from the group. I...We all missed you, Bella. You are the gel that keeps the eight of us together.”

“I’m sorry, Edward.” I truly was, “I don’t deserve the title of ‘gel,’ but I’ll take it. So, did Alice play any pranks on you this summer?”

“You knew she was going to get me? You didn’t tell me? Some secret spy you are! In answer to your question, yes, Alice played a few pranks on me. She got around my mind reading skills by singing BarbieGirl in her head for twenty-six hours straight, and with Emmett’s help, moved my furniture out into a cliff cave twenty miles away. It took me almost the whole day to find my piano.” He frowned.

I tried to sympathize, but it didn’t work. Peals of giggles burst from my mouth, filling the car. Edward glared harder.

“I’m glad you find my plight so amusing.” Edward had perfected sarcasm over the past thirteen years.

“Someone has to laugh for the both of us, Edward. It might as well be me.” I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him. I looked up, and realized that we were on the road toward the Cullen mansion. How had we arrived so speedily? Dumb vampire speeds and reflexes!

We parked, and entered the house. There was most likely a party a brewing. This is Alice we’re talking about.

Sure enough, a large…gigantic…banner over the stairs read, Welcome Home Bella in scrawling blood red letters. Being Alice’s best friend, I had been forced to suffer through many such parties, and did not feel joy in contemplating another such torture.

Edward noticed my dejected mood, and put his arm around my shoulders, saying, “Don’t worry, Bella. Alice was kept in check this time.” At my questioning glance, he added, “Well, she had no choice. I threatened her favorite Prada bag if she did anything too extravagant. I know you don’t like it. The elephant rides were canned at least.” He trailed off.

Edward was a great friend. To threaten Alice’s Prada collection was like asking to die. It took real courage. “Let’s go get some cake.” I said, trying to be optimistic about the situation. Edward smiled. He clasped his hand with mine and it felt good.

The party was actually almost fun. The Cullens, Jake, Adrie, and even Charlie were there to celebrate my return to the rainy town. The food was delicious, especially the chocolate dipped strawberries, and the music was lively.

Soon, my curfew was up, and Charlie drove me home in awkward silence. It had been good to see my friends again. Tomorrow, we would all be back in what the Cullen kids referred to as “the torture chamber.” Jake was even switching schools so he could hang out with us more. As I unpacked, and readied for bed I thoughtof the perfection this year was going to bring.